


The Appeal of Paradise

by ANGSWIN



Category: Death in Paradise
Genre: Colleagues/Coworkers, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Mutual Pining, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:02:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23536486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ANGSWIN/pseuds/ANGSWIN
Summary: A cup of tea helps Richard to truly see what...and who...has been in front of him all along.
Relationships: Camille Bordey/Richard Poole
Comments: 9
Kudos: 39
Collections: Tropes & Fandoms 2020





	The Appeal of Paradise

**Author's Note:**

> **2020 Tropes & Fandoms challenge:**  
> Square: 52/Regular  
> Trope: Coworkers

As he attempted to complete his reports, DI Richard Poole sat at his desk in the Honoré police station and tugged at his collar while he silently cursed the infernal heat that had plagued him ever since he had first stepped foot on the island. _How anyone can call this “Paradise” is beyond me!_ he thought for at least the hundredth time since his arrival. He still longed for the cool gray skies and streets of London. He had not seen them for months, however - not since the Commissioner had basically shanghaied him into extending his stint of duty on Saint Marie after he had solved the murder of DI Hulme.

It certainly did not help matters that, as usual, even despite the oppressive heat, Richard still craved a good cup of tea. Unfortunately for him, however, such a thing was a scarce commodity on the island. The hot beverage was simply not a popular drink choice for either the locals or the holiday-goers…even if the place was still considered to be under Britain’s umbrella of influence. Consequently, he had quite literally found it to be impossible to get a decent cuppa anywhere – with the one surprising exception of _Catherine’s Bar_. 

_That_ had certainly been a revelation! In fact, the shock that the free-spirited French proprietor was capable of brewing a cup that could rival the best in Britain, truthfully only came in second to the realization that Catherine was actually Camille’s mother! At the memory of that discovery, Richard’s thoughts turned toward his fiery sergeant as he allowed his gaze to fall upon the woman behind the desk that was directly across from his own. 

He watched Camille as she completed her own paperwork, with just an occasional pause in which she tapped her ballpoint pen against her lips while she was deep in thought. Richard had to admit, to himself at least, that he was irrationally jealous of that biro. Even though he would not… _could not_ …tell her, Camille fascinated him in a way that no one had ever done before. 

Not only was she a very effective and capable detective in her own right, but she was beautiful, as well. While the heat did not seem to bother her as much as it did him, perhaps because she insisted on an “island casual” style instead of a business suit, a thin sheen of sweat still covered her creamy dark skin while she worked. Richard found that he had to look away from the sight…and even tried to shake the questionable thoughts out of his head…before they evolved into something improper about his colleague. He forced himself to focus his attention back on his work, instead.

Camille caught the movement of his headshake in her peripheral vision and looked up just in time to see the DI bury himself back into his paperwork. She smiled at the sight. Richard was a brilliant man, but she worried that he worked entirely too hard. He was in one of the most beautiful places on earth, yet he did not seem to even notice it…unless it was to complain about the heat or the sand. She wished more than anything that she could get him to loosen up a bit and have a little fun. She sighed, though, at the realization that she could not even get him to lose his tie…much less his heart. 

The sudden thought surprised her. She knew that she liked the detective…quite a lot, actually. Did she feel _that_ way about him, though? Despite the fact that he was obviously not her usual type, she suspected that she did. 

At any rate, she knew that such thoughts were crazy – especially since Richard had made no secret of the fact that, if he got the chance, he would go back to London in a heartbeat. He was still her friend, however, and she could tell that he was uncomfortable. Even though it seemed counterproductive to her in this heat, she knew what always made him feel better. 

Therefore, she stood up and passed by the other two desks as she walked to the small kitchenette area on the other side of the station. Dwayne and Fidel had already left for the evening, however. Dwayne apparently had a hot date…as usual…and Fidel was eager to get home to his wife and daughter. Camille usually enjoyed the company of all of her coworkers very much, but she had to admit that she appreciated the quiet times when it was just her and Richard left at the station even more…just like it was on this particular evening. Even though she knew that he would never admit it, she thought the DI felt the same way.

After just a few minutes, Camille returned to stand before Richard with a steaming mug. As he looked up from his work, obviously confused, she just had to smile again. She did not get to see that look on the intuitive detective’s face very often, and she thought that it was adorable!

“Here,” she said as she held out the cup. “You look like you could use this. Don’t worry, though. It won’t poison you because I asked Maman to teach me how to make it the way that you like.” 

On several former occasions, Camille had admitted to a lack of both interest and skill in the kitchen. Therefore, when he realized that she had learned to make tea…just for him…the look on Richard’s face changed completely. It went from confusion to something that she just could not decipher, instead. However, it looked _warm_ …and she found that she liked it. 

“Thank you, Camille,” he said softly when he recovered enough from his initial surprise to appreciate the gift. He then took the cup from her gingerly - as if it were made of something precious. 

As he lifted it to his lips, he noticed that the cup had a picture of palm tree on it, but it was not until he took his first sip, that he knew it was indeed a small, perfect cup of paradise. When he looked back up at her to thank her again for her thoughtfulness, he met her smiling dark eyes. The warmth… _for him!_...that he saw there finally quieted the siren call of London that had been in his heart since his arrival on Saint Marie. It was then that he also realized that maybe he could understand the appeal of paradise, after all – especially if Camille Bordey continued to be a part of his! 


End file.
